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Montreal, Canada

By Paul Schiavi
Mrs. DeBlock
4/25/08



Montreal was the first European permanent settlement in Canada located in the southwestern part of the province of Quebec. Montreal is the 2nd most populated city in Canada next to Toronto, because of it’s interesting history, and exciting sites and actives. Also Montreal attracts a variety of people of people due to the manufacturing, trade, and finance. These make Montreal strong economically and offers a lot of opportunities for the citizens of the city.
The permanent city of Montreal was settled in May of 1642 by the explorer Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneve a former French Army officer.
The settlers were attracted to this area, which is not Montreal, because of the mountains that surrounded the area. The mountains provided protection and wood for houses. Also the new settled land had a thousand miles of water on the Saint Lawrence River which provide water, food and a way to transport materials for the new settlement
A variety of historical events impacted Montreal both positively and negatively. The Olympic summer games were held in Canada for the first time ever in July of 1976. That’s on the positive side. On the negative side the summer Olympics were supposedly the most expensive. One of the
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positive events was the Lachine canal being completed in 1825. The canal
cut through the heart of the city bypassing the treacherous rapids, which made it easier to get from the St Lawrence to the Great Lakes. This canal made transportation and trade easier and less dangerous. Also due to the decrease of dangerous travel more people populated Montreal. The population increased for 10,000 in 1800 to 50,000 in 1850.
Montreal was the home of Major League Baseballs Expo’s for many years. I have been to the stadium and was on the jumbotron during an Expo’s game.
There are many reasons to visit Montreal. Montreal is home to the Canadians of the National Hockey League. It was also the site of the 1976 Olympic Games. In addition Mont Royal is a monument with beautiful sight seeing and recreational opportunities. Many people visit Montreal’s oldest church called Notre Dame de Bonsecours. In July Montreal holds an international fireworks festival that attracts thousands each weekend.
Manufacturing, trade and finance are economic factors in Montreal. The manufacturing industries employs many people, and petroleum earns the people of Montreal the most money. These businesses keep people employed so the can earn more money to spend to support the economy.
If these industries were to fail, the people of Montreal would not have jobs
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or money to pay their bills.
Montreal is a great place to live, work, and visit. It has great history. Whether you are interested in the history of the settlement of the country, want to visit the many monuments, or any of the amusement parks, Montreal has a lot of interesting things to do.